Me tired. You go read fic. I go sleep-sleep...zzzzzzzzzz...
Disclaimer: Yugioh and Black&White not owned here
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((I don't like this, I don't like this at all,)) Laurel muttered to herself as she paced around in the front yard of the Temple.
How long had it been, a week? No, much longer than that. Two or three weeks…almost a month! And her Master was still gone!
((I would know if he were dead,)) she tried to reassure herself, ((I would have sensed if he left the island…))
That brought to mind images of her Master being trapped or held captive somewhere. He'd gone to check out the source of the Creature-moans she'd heard…maybe whoever was causing them hadn't wanted Yuugioh to get in their way…maybe he just wasn't dead yet.
((Ugh! I don't think I can take this much longer…))
In hopes of walking off her frustration, Laurel left the Temple. Walking past the Village Store, she noted that everything seemed well in order. She had already been to check out the villages in the direction of the evil god Alastor's former Temple a few days ago - the very first time she walked by them they immediately became believers from sheer awe - and there was only one place left to go: out the big gate to where the bay used to be.
It hadn't been that much of a bay, really: all the water had come in through a narrow, cliff-lined inlet. It had been more like a big seawater lake.
Interestingly, it appeared almost the same, even after all this time. One of the sides of the inlet had caved in on itself, causing the bay to flood. Still, it was quiet and peaceful here. Even though she was still worried out of her fur, Laurel decided that she did feel better now.
"It - It cannot be!"
Laurel jerked to attention at the sudden sound of a human voice. She had been so lost in her own thoughts that she'd completely missed hearing and smelling the mortal approaching. A young man, he stared up at her as she looked down in puzzlement.
It was even more astounding when he gasped and abruptly started bowing to her.
"They said it would happen, and I wanted to believe it, but - but this is more than we've ever dreamed of happening!"
((Is something wrong, sir?)) Laurel hesitantly inquired after another five minutes of bowing from the man.
"Aiee! Oh. Oh! It's just like the tales said - Oh, Lady Creature who serves the Crimson Eye, you have finally returned to us!"
'Returned?' Laurel wondered as the man finally got up.
"Please, Madam - follow me!"
The young human lead the way through a large stand of trees and around a small hill to a section of shoreline where several huts were scattered. The humans around the huts immediately began swarming around Laurel's feet, until one of the older ones shooed them away.
"Lady Creature," the old one addressed her, "We thank you for your return. But I can see you do not fully understand. Ask whatever questions you wish, and we will answer them as best we may."
((You seem to know me, and my Master,)) Laurel began, ((Are you…are among you the villagers that were thought lost to us?))
"Their children, and grandchildren, and other descendants, are the ones that settled here in hopes of surviving until your return to this isle," the old one said with a gaped-tooth grin, "Even through the chaos of the God-War, they - and we - have held faith in you."
At this point the old one frowned.
"But if it is you that has found us…what has become of Lord Yuugioh? We had hoped to meet with him as soon as he arrived…and we wished to warn him!"
((Warn him of what?)) Laurel inquired, dreading the answer even as she asked.
"The God-War came to an end when a new force appeared on this land," the old one said, "A goddess, She is, but a siren witch if one ever existed. Humans and Gods She has charmed to Her side, where they slave to the death in hopes of being near Her. The Destroyers were swiftly enslaved by Her, no Temple or Village to serve them - all that did were destroyed by them under Her orders!"
((And…what of the Creatures that served them? Are they slain?))
"Creatures and beasts are not affected by Her wiles," the old one said, "It's said that She has them sealed away as pets - toys for Her amusement. You can hear them rage against it even here, but Her spell blocks their pleas from their masters…why do you look so ill, Dearest Lady?"
((Because - ))
Laurel was suddenly finding it hard to breathe -
((My Master went that way to explore when we arrived, and he has not come back.))
The humans gasped. Some of the younger ones started crying. Laurel shook herself - what was this despairing feeling? Not all hope was lost. She was immune to the siren goddess, wasn't she?
((I will find him,)) she growled, more to herself than to any of the humans, ((I will find the way to defeat this evil goddess and bring him back.))
Only paying partial attention to the cries of 'farewell' and 'good fortune' coming from the humans behind her, Laurel walked towards the collapsed wall of the inlet. If she had to, she would swim laps around the island. Luckily there was a rocky, washed-out little sort of beach that Laurel could walk on instead.
Pretty soon, she noticed a change in the air, and in the ground. Everything started to feel weird, like there were billions of ants crawling over every surface.
'I must be getting close,' she thought, and continued to pick her way along.
High, high overhead, on top of a mountain-sized cliff, was a Temple that gave her the shakes. Up ahead was a tiny inlet with no cover. Before crossing it, Laurel looked around - and it was a good thing she did, because she spotted the trouble heading her way in the nick of time.
A vividly pink goddess was leading the way - and her Master was one of the three gods trailing along after her. The other two were Dekos and Alastor.
Something was off about them - Alastor especially. There seemed to be a faint halo of…pink light around each god.
'It's a spiritual marker,' Laurel suddenly realized, 'Just the ones we put on our Disciples…she's marked them as hers.'
The pink goddess was saying something, and while Yuugioh, Alastor, and Dekos shoved each other out of the way in order to be closest to the goddess while she was speaking, Laurel stifled a whimper and clamped her paws over her ears in agony.
Each word, each syllable the pink goddess uttered grated on her nerves. The goddess had a voice that sounded like nails on a chalkboard mixed with the sound of breaking glass, with an undertone exactly like the sound of an egg frying on the sidewalk.
"The sun is setting, gentlemen, that means its time to come inside, so come on in," were the words the goddess had just said.
Once the goddess and the three gods were inside the Temple, Laurel dared to move onwards. With the help - even the unwilling help - of even just one other Creature, Laurel knew they could bring down this goddess.
A short ways past the inlet, there was a place where the ground sort of sank away out of sight. Water was gently trickling into the hole, and a disgusting stench was coming out of it. The stench of too many warm bodies and not enough places to use the bathroom.
Laurel would have stepped inside nevertheless, but something in the back of her mind screamed a warning at the very last second. Her paw came into contact with some sort of membrane, and when she pulled it free it burned her horribly.
Or did it? Her paw was untouched, but it still hurt to reach inside and then pull back. The membrane crackled and flickered where she had touched it.
A low whine grasped Laurel's attention. A dark shape was watching her from inside the membrane. Over the stench of things Laurel didn't want to put a name to, she caught the scent of wolf.
((I see you, Creature,)) she challenged.
((Big deal,)) Ripclaw the wolf Creature huffed, not bothering to move, ((What's keeping you from stepping inside, Cat?))
((Probably the smell coming from you,)) she replied, swishing her tail loftily.
((Did you fi-i-i-i-i-i-i-nd something new to eat over here?)) came a new Creature's voice.
It belonged to Tap-Tap, Alastor's sheep Creature. He snorted when he spotted Laurel.
((Not food, just a stupid ca-a-a-a-a-a-a-t,)) Tap-Tap sighed, ((I'd kill for a-a-a-a-a bush at least…))
((How long have you two been in there?)) Laurel wondered.
((None of your business,)) Ripclaw snarled.
((I don't reme-e-e-e-e-e-ember,)) Tap-Tap answered, ignoring the annoyed wolf beside him, ((Years, I guess. Ever since she-e-e-e-e-e-e-e came along…))
((The goddess that lives in the Temple here,)) Laurel clarified.
((Yeah…Soup said she's ca-a-a-a-a-a-alled Cass-a-something,)) Tap-Tap continued, wiping his snout absentmindedly as he spoke.
((Don't you ever shut up? Why don't you go ahead and tell the cat your life history while you're at it,)) Ripclaw growled, turning and stomping off deeper into the hole.
((Who is Soup?)) Laurel asked.
In reply, Tap-Tap merely stared at her for a minute, and then giggled, before turning and wandering away in the same direction Ripclaw had just gone.
Laurel growled in the back of her throat with irritation. A very cranky wolf and a sheep that had been hit in the head too many times were not extremely helpful things right now. Deciding to avoid going into the actual hole if she could help it, Laurel climbed the bank and walked along the hole's edge.
At night, all the villagers were inside their homes in the village, and there was no sign that the goddess was going to come out anytime soon, so Laurel had no fear of being spotted. Reaching the far end of the great trench-like hole, she peered inside just as the full moon came out from behind a bank of clouds.
Practically underneath her was a huge brown cow, bigger than any Creature Laurel had seen yet, including herself. The cow's ears perked up, and then the huge creature was staring back up at her.
((Huh? Who are you?)) the cow asked.
((I should be asking that,)) Laurel answered, ((Whose Creature are you?))((Oh, go on and tell her, Soup,)) Ripclaw suddenly called from another spot in the hole, ((It'll be good for another laugh at least!))
-The cow flinched. Laurel felt a sudden sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
((That evil goddess,)) Laurel asked, ((Is she your…?))
((Her name is Cassaka,)) the cow answered, head hanging in shame.
((And this is Soup,)) Ripclaw added, stepping into clear view with Tap-Tap trailing along behind him, ((Why don't you come down here and say hello properly, little kitty?))
((Why don't you come up here instead?)) Laurel challenged.
Tap-Tap laughed.
((You're crazy - it's impossible to get out of he-e-e-e-e-e-ere,)) the sheep said.
((It can't be that hard,)) Laurel argued.
((Once you go all the way inside here, you can't get out,)) Soup said.
((And she should know,)) Ripclaw added, ((She's been behind one of these things since Cassaka got a hold of her!))
Laurel huffed softly to herself in annoyance. Surely there was some way of escape for these three. If she had learned anything from having Yuugioh for a god, it was that there was always another option. If it wasn't readily obvious, all you needed to do was reexamine your situation carefully, and then it would present itself.
'Once you go all the way inside,' Laurel thought, remembering what Soup had just said, 'Once you go all the way…but I rescued my paw all right…so maybe…'
((What are you mumbling about?)) Ripclaw asked her, ((Are you finally giving up, fur bag?))
((Nope,)) Laurel purred, ((As a matter of fact, I think that I have an idea.))
